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Old 12-27-2021, 05:44 PM   #11
Zedrobber
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

It's possible that there's something wrong healthwise, if the behaviour is completely out of the blue and he's consistently doing it now. Might be worth taking him to a vet just for a check over.
Please don't feel like you are doing anything wrong - he doesn't hate you, he's not angry with you, he's just expressing a need or a problem in the only way he knows how to communicate. I promise it's not personal. My last hamster, the sweetest boy I've ever met, bit me hard enough to completely ruin a pair of pyjamas with the amount it bled, but it wasn't because he hated me - he just felt unsafe with something I was doing. Here's what I would do-

-check all needs are being met in the cage; large enough cage, plenty of deep bedding for burrowing, enriching toys and cage furniture, large enough wheel that his back is straight, a good quality food, and some mental enrichment like foraging.
-check his water to make sure it's accessible.
-Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before interacting with him so they don't smell like food or other animals etc. It's possible he feels threatened by something he can smell.
-take him to a vet for a checkup
-start the taming process over again from the beginning to rebuild confidence on both sides. You being nervous of him will probably not be helping.

Good luck and please try not to be upset with your hamster.
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Old 12-28-2021, 02:40 AM   #12
ShadowNinjaHamster
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zedrobber View Post
It's possible that there's something wrong healthwise, if the behaviour is completely out of the blue and he's consistently doing it now. Might be worth taking him to a vet just for a check over.
Please don't feel like you are doing anything wrong - he doesn't hate you, he's not angry with you, he's just expressing a need or a problem in the only way he knows how to communicate. I promise it's not personal. My last hamster, the sweetest boy I've ever met, bit me hard enough to completely ruin a pair of pyjamas with the amount it bled, but it wasn't because he hated me - he just felt unsafe with something I was doing. Here's what I would do-

-check all needs are being met in the cage; large enough cage, plenty of deep bedding for burrowing, enriching toys and cage furniture, large enough wheel that his back is straight, a good quality food, and some mental enrichment like foraging.
-check his water to make sure it's accessible.
-Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before interacting with him so they don't smell like food or other animals etc. It's possible he feels threatened by something he can smell.
-take him to a vet for a checkup
-start the taming process over again from the beginning to rebuild confidence on both sides. You being nervous of him will probably not be helping.

Good luck and please try not to be upset with your hamster.
He attacked me again. He has food, he has water, I changed today and I washed my hands before I interacted with him. He keeps attacking me and he already does biting gestures when I am close to the cage.
I do not have any other animals and I haven't been petting anyone else. I don't do sudden movements around him and I don't scare him nor wake him up. I always make sure he's awake. Always. We used to play every night and two days ago everything was fine and he used to be very friendly.

This is what I found from Google:
"Hamsters bite to communicate with their owners that they are uncomfortable with the situation that they are in. Even if your hamster has been completely friendly up until this point, this is the reason why it might begin to bite all of a sudden. Although it may seem they are biting you for no reason, it is likely that they feel threatened, are hungry or trying to hide an insecurity or illness from you"

I haven't cleaned the cage recently either, but something is wrong. The thing is he used to be super friendly and he came to my arm all the time and he liked being with me and never bit me. I've had him since August and I haven't made any drastic changes.

When he bites me he won't let it go. He clings to my finger with his teeth and it hurts. Google said let him bite you, but how? Of course I had to shake him off (did it as gently as I could and am feeling guilty about it).

He has toys, he has everything. I don't understand what's wrong with him.

When I got him in August he never bit me. He was frightened of me though. I remember the first time I touched him he literally jumped and I don't know how to tame him again.
He still takes food from my hand and toilet paper and after that he attacks me. Before he just took food and left and he has never behaved so weirdly when I've been close to his cage. He's literally either biting the air or bars when he sees me and his mouth is wide open.
I'll have to record it and share it with you.
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Old 12-28-2021, 02:45 AM   #13
ShadowNinjaHamster
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

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Originally Posted by Lilafernim View Post
I wouldn’t particularly worry about it. My previous hamster never bit me once except for one time when waking up so I understand your concern. I know you say he wasn’t sleeping but it could’ve been absolutely anything. It could’ve been a noise or maybe you moved quickly, even if you bought something home and he can smell it. Or if you’ve stroked local cats it could be anything.

No matter what I wouldn’t worry at this stage, as you’ve not said any other behaviour has been off, it could’ve been a one time incident. If it happens again I could understand your concern but as it is now there’s no way to tell if it was just a simple mistake.
I never handle him when he's asleep, unless I've taken him to the vet before. He attacked me again this morning. He just clings to my finger or palm or anything with his teeth and won't let go.
I don't stroke strange animals and cats. I've had a cat, but that was 3 years ago and I've moved to a different country. I gotta say having a cat was way easier and even cheaper than having a hamster. I've spent so much money on my hamster and yet he's so ungrateful. It's weird. He used to live in a small cage when I got him and he was nice to me all the time. I'll just leave him alone. I'm not the first one going through this. It'll either be okay or I'll be able just to watch him for my entertainment.

Edit: Actually, once my cat bit me and I bit him back and then we had the longest staring history in the history of mankind till he looked away. After that I never had any problems. Maybe my hamster tries to show me that he owns me? Or maybe he really does have health issues?

Last edited by ShadowNinjaHamster; 12-28-2021 at 02:52 AM.
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Old 12-28-2021, 04:29 AM   #14
Ria P
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

Quote:
Originally Posted by ShadowNinjaHamster View Post

Edit: Actually, once my cat bit me and I bit him back and then we had the longest staring history in the history of mankind till he looked away. After that I never had any problems. Maybe my hamster tries to show me that he owns me? Or maybe he really does have health issues?
Whatever you do, please don't bite your hamster back.
I find it quite alarming that you bit your cat because you could have caught an illness off him.

The way you describe your hamster's behaviour now, i'm also starting to wonder if he's ill.
You could test him for diabetes with keto stix from Amazon.

I adopted a very disturbed, aggressive dwarf once who would always bite and latch on to fingers. I tested his urine for glucose and the colour chart showed the highest level.

I'm not saying that your hamster is diabetic but that is something you or a vet could test for to at least rule it out.

Not every hamster likes interacting with humans but it is always possible to have a relationship with a hamster. Sometimes the relationship changes and we have to find different ways of interacting which can make it just as interesting and even more rewarding.

Whatever is going to happen, whether your hamster is going to revert back to his old self or not, he will still be your little pet who depends on your love and care.

I loved my ill and bitey little dwarf as much as my friendly and affectionate little dwarf.

My suggestion now would be to check him for health issues since any possible environmental causes have been ruled out.

Information on Google can be very conflicting and outdated regarding hamsters. Best info i ever found on Google was Hamster Central.
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Old 12-28-2021, 05:49 AM   #15
ShadowNinjaHamster
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Whatever you do, please don't bite your hamster back.
I find it quite alarming that you bit your cat because you could have caught an illness off him.

The way you describe your hamster's behaviour now, i'm also starting to wonder if he's ill.
You could test him for diabetes with keto stix from Amazon.

I adopted a very disturbed, aggressive dwarf once who would always bite and latch on to fingers. I tested his urine for glucose and the colour chart showed the highest level.

I'm not saying that your hamster is diabetic but that is something you or a vet could test for to at least rule it out.

Not every hamster likes interacting with humans but it is always possible to have a relationship with a hamster. Sometimes the relationship changes and we have to find different ways of interacting which can make it just as interesting and even more rewarding.

Whatever is going to happen, whether your hamster is going to revert back to his old self or not, he will still be your little pet who depends on your love and care.

I loved my ill and bitey little dwarf as much as my friendly and affectionate little dwarf.

My suggestion now would be to check him for health issues since any possible environmental causes have been ruled out.

Information on Google can be very conflicting and outdated regarding hamsters. Best info i ever found on Google was Hamster Central.
Of course I am not going to bite my hamster haha!
What? He licked my face, we slept together and he was vaccinated and an indoor cat. Now he's not an indoor cat, because he lives in a house now and has a yard.


I'm also afraid that he's ill, so thank you for your suggestions. He used to love being with me and he never bit me and we played together. It's a very sudden, overnight change because the night before he was freely running on my bed and then in a playpen as every night.

I also bought him new toys and vitamins (which I've never tried before).
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Old 12-28-2021, 06:26 AM   #16
Ria P
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

Be careful with the vitamins because hamsters should get all the vitamins they need from their food.
I wouldn't give a hamster vitamins. A bit of broccoli, kale or other greens alongside a good hamster mix is all they need.
And some treats now and again.
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Old 12-28-2021, 07:30 AM   #17
ShadowNinjaHamster
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Be careful with the vitamins because hamsters should get all the vitamins they need from their food.
I wouldn't give a hamster vitamins. A bit of broccoli, kale or other greens alongside a good hamster mix is all they need.
And some treats now and again.
He has never eaten broccoli, kale. He just eats cucumbers and salads. He doesn't even eat apples nor cheese.
"GRANULATED MULTIVITAMIN SUPPLEMENT FOR RODENTS AND RABBITS Multivitamin
granulate is an indispensable supplement to your pet's regular food. It supplements the
deficiencies of vitamins, minerals and microelements that are often missing from the daily diet.
The multivitamin granulate improves the general health and well being of rodents and rabbits. It
should become a permanent addition to your pet's menu. The contents of the package should
young, rapidly growing animals, a double dose is recommended.
"

Is what it says in the back. It sounded like a good purchase, but now you're telling me not to give it?
I also bought him other food and sweets and some weird small bridge and other things, such as a new, plastic wheel and water bottle etc. I can't keep using water bowl if he keeps attacking me. I'm truly sad about it, to be fair. I thought I was doing a good job and tried tot provide enrichment and fun into his life and a bigger cage etc, but… I don't know. I'm feeling very guilty and bad. The worst thing is that this change happened overnight.
Maybe I did something wrong and he's angry with me? The worst thing is that when he had bugs and I deep cleaned his cage so many times he never bit me and never was 'insane' and even when he had a rough day and had to spend the whole day in a small cage he never behaved like that. (He spent the whole day in a small cage when I came from the vet and the vet told me to clean all of his things and wait for 8 hours). I haven't changed anything either in his cage. I don't know what happened.

I can't find any reason why he should be afraid of me either and I haven't even changed any of my soaps. He doesn't hiss at me nor make any noises. He just attacks me, but when I have food he won't attack me. He still comes to my hand and eats and takes toilet paper from my hand, but once he realises I'm out of food or toilet paper he starts attacking me. Before that he just walked away and every evening I used to call him and he came to my hand and we went to playpen, but now I am actually a bit scared of him. He hasn't been in his playpen ever since he bit me.

He just woke up and came out of his house and went to eat. I am keeping an eye on him. I'm not really sure if he can see me or hear me typing, but yeah, currently he's just eating. I'll update once he does something strange…Now he's washing himself. That has been his normal behaviour so far, wake up, eat, wash himself / groom himself.

Just drunk some water and now eating again…

Edit: Went up to his cage to show you how aggressive he gets when I am near his cage and stood there for awhile with the phone on my hand. He pays me no attention as for now. I can be next to his cage and just look at him and he acts as if I am not there.

Edit: He took a bath and went back to sleep, but he does look fat… I mean he has always been fat, ever since I got him, but he seems to be fatter even now. Maybe it's my imagination? Anyways, he paid no attention to me. I was scared to put my hand in the cage. I'll just leave him alone. I don't know what to do.

Last edited by ShadowNinjaHamster; 12-28-2021 at 07:53 AM.
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Old 12-28-2021, 09:01 AM   #18
Lilafernim
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

I don’t know if your ones are the same as mine, but I have Johnson’s vit-min drops for guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats and mice. I understand what Ria is saying but I personally give my hamster some occasionally as I did a lot of research into it after my first hammie passed away. Much like humans there’s the question of if the body actually processes vitamins in this form but worse case scenario I believe they just wee out the excess.

I don’t use mine all the time since as Ria said I normally give veg on a night but on days where I give porridge or treats similar to I put some drops in to supplement the missing vitamins.

There’s normally a natural bond between an owner and their pet so if you think something is wrong take him to the vet. You are right sometimes biting is trying to tell you something and if everything in the cage is fine then it is strange.

Also, with costs I also agree. My partner had never owned a cat before meeting me but I advised him if he wanted a long term pet a cat would be the best option for him. And as you say he came home from work spent £20 on litter tray, scratch post, toys etc. And apart from litter and food that’s all she has ever cost. I agree it seems expensive to own a hamster or at least more so than a cat, but I think when you know where to look, unlike a cat where you have to buy food every week a hamster it lasts a large proportion of their life. Also the cage and wheel etc. Cost but you can hold them through every hamsters lives you get and at the end potentially get your money back through selling it all on. Also I’d say paper bedding is a lot but you barely ever have to change it.

You’ve definitely been unlucky though since I know there’s been a couple of incidences where you’ve had to go to the vets. I wouldn’t take this as common practice and I could only suggest that it could be due to the breed as I believe a lot of people say they can be hybrids and come with health risks.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do, but I hope you don’t give up as owning a hamster should be a happy experience, not as stressful as this!
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Old 12-28-2021, 09:58 AM   #19
ShadowNinjaHamster
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lilafernim View Post
I don’t know if your ones are the same as mine, but I have Johnson’s vit-min drops for guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats and mice. I understand what Ria is saying but I personally give my hamster some occasionally as I did a lot of research into it after my first hammie passed away. Much like humans there’s the question of if the body actually processes vitamins in this form but worse case scenario I believe they just wee out the excess.

I don’t use mine all the time since as Ria said I normally give veg on a night but on days where I give porridge or treats similar to I put some drops in to supplement the missing vitamins.

There’s normally a natural bond between an owner and their pet so if you think something is wrong take him to the vet. You are right sometimes biting is trying to tell you something and if everything in the cage is fine then it is strange.

Also, with costs I also agree. My partner had never owned a cat before meeting me but I advised him if he wanted a long term pet a cat would be the best option for him. And as you say he came home from work spent £20 on litter tray, scratch post, toys etc. And apart from litter and food that’s all she has ever cost. I agree it seems expensive to own a hamster or at least more so than a cat, but I think when you know where to look, unlike a cat where you have to buy food every week a hamster it lasts a large proportion of their life. Also the cage and wheel etc. Cost but you can hold them through every hamsters lives you get and at the end potentially get your money back through selling it all on. Also I’d say paper bedding is a lot but you barely ever have to change it.

You’ve definitely been unlucky though since I know there’s been a couple of incidences where you’ve had to go to the vets. I wouldn’t take this as common practice and I could only suggest that it could be due to the breed as I believe a lot of people say they can be hybrids and come with health risks.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do, but I hope you don’t give up as owning a hamster should be a happy experience, not as stressful as this!
I just spot cleaned his cage while he was asleep and I think I woke him up with making too much noise. He didn't come out though. I put fresh water and food and now he came to eat. I also put a water bottle, which I purchased today, because I think if he's going to attack me every time I try to do something he has to know how to use the bottle. I won't go in and disturb him nor tests whether or not he'll attack me again. I don't want to upset him and I want him to be happy. I do have to change the wheel at some point though.

Actually, I changed my mind and this is what he has kind of started doing when I am next to the cage:
IMG 4196 - YouTube and sometimes he's chewing the bars. He never did this thing with his mouth before. For real, he never did it, so that's definitely a new type of behaviour.

I don't think I was a good cat owner either, but we never had such problems. We had different kind of issues. For example when I cleaned his litter he came racing to me immediately and was just staring at me as if he was offended and when I was done he 'cleaned it' again with his paws. I don't really know if my hamster is disliking me or there's something wrong. I've asked my friend to come over and I want to test whether or not he bites her. And she usually comes to the vet with me, since I live and work in a foreign country and don't speak the language fluently enough.He's taking a sand bath again and it has increased too. He never did that so often.
Also, he has started to chew this wooden toy lately: IMG 4198 - YouTube He used the other toy before, but now he hasn't used it anymore.
I am still a bit scared to put my hand in the cage to see whether or not he attacks me.

Now that I googled it I read that it's a positive thing, but I don't know. Many articles say you're supposed to get a hamster ball for your hamster and if I wouldn't have discovered this forum my hamster would be rolling around in a hamster ball.

Does my hamster look stressed? I think he's sleeping again now. He's usually awake around midnight and sometimes I hear him at night when he plays with his ball.

I am not giving up on him. I'm just worried that I'm an awful hamster owner and making him miserable.He's still my hamster and we're still a family. I wouldn't give him up and I've read and seen so many bad hamster stories on reddit and even on the news (There was a woman who bought hamsters and 'set them free' into the wild. I mean it's -11C (12.2F) at the moment and I'm sure nearly every hamster would die pretty fast, plus I think I've seen some other animals out in the dark as well. I think I saw a rat or something one day at night. There's no way I'd give him away, because many people treat animals like things. You hear all these stories of how people take puppies and kittens and then just leave them when they're not cute anymore.

I'm asking for help, because I want to make my hamster's life better and I'm grateful to each and everyone of you for helping me.
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Old 12-28-2021, 12:28 PM   #20
Lilafernim
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Default Re: My hamster just attacked me for the first time ever

Looking at just the videos I wouldn’t say he looks distressed or unhappy personally. Bar biting is a bad sign and they can seriously damage their teeth chewing on metal but what he is doing just looks like he’s being nosey to be honest. It actually looks like he has wide bar spacing I would’ve thought he could squeeze through them so the fact he stays in must mean he likes it 😂

Also hamsters chew to keep their teeth from overthrowing so he could just be chewing more recently if he feels his teeth are growing.

I am probably just as experienced as yourself in hamsters and I get a lot of help from people on this forum. I would always take other people’s advice over mine as they have had more experienced but I think it’s fair to say we all sometimes feel like things go wrong and we blame ourselves.

You saying about your cat we’ve had some stories with ours. She is such a timid little thing if there’s two people in the same room you’d think we abuse her from the way she acts! Get her on her own and she’s all over us. I’ve had cats all my life but never one as bizarre as ours now but it could just be differences in cats personalities. We also got our current cat on preloved and she was living in a house with 2/3 Great Dane dogs, whole litter of other kittens, she had a three or more young kids screaming around so I think her behaviour is a reflection of how she was raised.

I feel guilty for my previous hamsters death and it really weighs on me. She slept a lot all the time and the only sign of illness was she started sleeping more. I never questioned it as she always was sleeping her whole life. I actually nearly made a new thread because the past couple of nights Mitzi gets up at 9 goes back to bed by 10, and I don’t see her again. I had to laugh though because I was just about to post it and I looked over at her cage and her cheeky little face was just staring at me. It’s easy to overthink things but sometimes we just have to trust ourselves.

I think a new bottle may be a good idea, I’ve been thinking of using a bowl as well recently as I think the bottle has started to jam I have to keep shaking it. Like I’ve said if you have concerns over the biting I’d understand if you want to go vets, I do think (especially if it’s not an exotics vets) they may have no clue what to look for as they’d probably need to do tests and there’s no physical signs of illness. But if it puts your mind at ease and it ends up finding something then it’s worth it in the end.
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